With Examity, the answer splits by proctoring level — which is why candidates comparing it to other tools often get conflicting answers. Automated and live proctored exams do capture your screen activity; review-only sessions generally do not. Here's the breakdown, and how to figure out which one you're sitting.
What each level captures
Live proctoring (human watching in real time). Webcam video and audio, plus your screen — the proctor can see what you see, and can intervene. The most intrusive option and the rarest.
Automated proctoring (AI + recorded review). Continuous webcam video and room audio, session logging, and on-screen activity capture used to flag behaviors: navigation away from the exam, unexpected windows, gaze patterns, absence from frame. Nobody watches live; flagged clips get reviewed afterward.
Review-only / test-delivery only. Some Examity configurations run essentially as the exam container — timing, question delivery, submission — with logging of basic session events but no screen recording. If the setup never asks for camera permissions, this is probably you.
How to check before your timer starts
- The invitation. Screen and video recording on a proctored exam is normally stated explicitly — you're required to grant camera access, so disclosure is standard.
- The setup check. Automated and live levels run a webcam/mic check and often a 360° room scan before entry. No camera prompt means no video-level proctoring.
- During the session. An on-screen recording indicator or periodic camera snapshots mean capture is active.
- Ask the administrator. "Is my screen recorded in this Examity session?" is a fair, answerable question.
What screen capture actually means for you
If your screen is captured, assume anything visible on it is reviewable: opened tabs, notes in a second window, a phone screen in frame if it mirrors. That changes preparation in concrete ways:
- Close unrelated tabs and applications before launching, so an accidental focus switch doesn't put something on the record.
- If permitted materials are allowed, know exactly what they are — the recording is what distinguishes allowed reference from disallowed help.
- Don't use a second monitor; captured desktops are read literally.
- Keep your desktop itself clean if capture starts at login — file names are visible evidence.
The other common misunderstanding: screen capture is not a verdict. Flags are timestamped clips for human review. If an innocent moment appears on record (a window pop-up, a household interruption), the clip with context is your defense, which is why asking to see the specific timestamp beats vague denial.
For employers running assessments on Examity
Match capture depth to risk. Automated proctoring with screen capture suits high-stakes or compliance-linked assessments; for routine screening, the added monitoring mostly taxes honest candidates and adds reviewer load, while code-consistency and work-sample signals catch more actual gaming than screen footage does. And whatever is captured, disclose it in the invite — recorded-screen policies discovered mid-exam are trust events, not just policy ones.
Screen capture tells you whether the test was taken cleanly. It doesn't tell you whether the candidate can do the job — that's the evaluation design problem: structured criteria, scored work samples, and defensible ranking on top. AI candidate evaluation covers how assessment signals roll up into one shortlist rather than disconnected pass/fail gates.
Bottom line
Examity records your screen at the automated and live proctoring levels; review-only setups generally don't capture beyond session logs. The camera and room-scan prompt at setup tells you which you're in. Close everything unrelated, skip second monitors, keep the desktop itself presentable, and if something innocuous lands on the recording, point the reviewer at the timestamp rather than hoping the flag clears itself.